Face of Mankind - Open Beta!

MortonDec 1, 2009, 3:50 PM

Open Beta starts today, December 5! The client is already available for download.

After a long period of closed beta tests and re-development Face of Mankind is finally entering open beta test on the 5th of December. It's a unique MMORPG game, a hybrid of a first person shooter and a role-playing game. The game has decent graphics for an MMORPG, though not as modern as in Age of Conan, Huxley or some other very recent MMO games. The goal in the game is to play/role-play according to your faction's general agenda or invent your own individual path.

Here is some general info on all of the factions in the game. When you make a new character, you must choose one of the eight factions. You can switch freely between different factions later but you must wait 1-2 RL days before you can do it again.

Law Enforcement Department - the main emphasis in daily gameplay is on hunting down criminals, scanning people for possession of drugs and illegal weapons, guarding Global Dominion colonies and a prison planet called Demorgan's Castle

Freedom Defense Corps- the main emphasis is on performing different military drill exercises, patrolling certain planets mainly within Global Dominion space, assisting Law Enforcement Department in conflicts they cannot handle alone, backing up the Global Dominion government

Brotherhood of Shadows- the main emphasis is on producing drugs and plotting alliances and schemes which are often targeted against the Global Dominion factions, sometimes planning prison breaks from Demorgan's Castle - the only faction in the game which can produce drugs (which act as boosters in combat but which are illegal to carry according to Global Dominion laws)- could be suitable for anyone who wants to role-play a protester, anarchist, terrorist, drug dealer, drug lord, gangster, mafia boss etc.

Mercenaries of the Blood- the main emphasis is on becoming part of a mercenary cell and taking contracts (often hitman contracts to kill people)- attracts many good fighters who are also efficient combatants on squad level, but in larger conflicts (often against Global Dominion forces) is usually forced to ally with another faction or be outnumbered - the faction is known for gankers and random player killers, which somewhat affects the reputation of the faction accordingly and makes it one of the least newbie-friendly factions

Guardians of Mankind- the main emphasis is on role-playing, diplomacy, religion and non-violent way of life (overall might be the best faction for anyone who wants to role-play a hippy, pacifist, diplomat, politician, senator, negotiator, nurse, doctor or a religious person)

Colonisation and Mining Guild- corporation whose members extract minerals and other natural resources at reduced costs

EuroCore- corporation whose members manufacture items at reduced costs- known in the past for aggressive board of directors who always used the same scheme: attract like-minded people, turn the corporation into a hostile army, ally with the Mercenaries, oppose the Global Dominion and take over the whole world

Vortex Inc.- corporation whose members can transport goods between planets at reduced costs

People should try this game because it dares to break many conventions of the mainstream MMORPG genre: you don't fight monsters/NPCs and you don't gain levels. It tries to captivate you with another, quite unique and fresh approach to the MMORPG/MMOFPS genre. Some will hate it but some will love it. You can get an idea if you read this review. If "Face of Mankind" fails, I will start to agree very strongly with publishers and game companies who claim that gamers themselves are too obsessed with the traditional features of mainstream MMO games (mindless grinding and monster killing, plain quests etc.) for any noticeable innovation to happen in the MMORPG industry. If "Face of Mankind" becomes a great success, it will be a very strong proof that such a claim is false.

As for pricing, FoM will be a "freemium" game. People will be able to play with free accounts but they will be able to subscribe for premium accounts and get some types of benefits (which haven't been created or even invented yet).